Slices
Prepare
‘Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against ... the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms’ (Ephesians 6:12). Pray for a greater understanding of the struggle you’re caught up in with Jesus.
Bible passage
Jesus accused by his family and by teachers of the law
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.’
23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: ‘How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.’
30 He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an impure spirit.’
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting round him, and they told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.’
33 ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle round him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’
Explore
‘He’s crazy,’ say Jesus’ family. ‘We’ll take care of him’ (v 21). ‘He’s crazy,’ say the religious leaders, ‘and we know the deep, dark cause of it’ (v 22). Though they, of course, were also thinking in a rather different way: ‘We’ll take care of him’ (v 6). Misunderstanding and opposition to the good news Jesus brings are normal.
But through Jesus, heaven – God’s kingdom – breaks into the lives of the demon-possessed. Their joy in freedom must be unspeakable. But the religious leaders – who should know better – ascribe to Satan the work of the grace of God. That’s unforgiveable (v 29). Their minds are so entrenched that there’s no way they’re coming to God for forgiveness – they’re in danger of putting themselves far beyond that possibility.
Through Jesus, heaven breaks into the thinking and priorities of all those listening to him. In heaven, what will matter most is not human family relationships, but allegiance to Jesus. So let’s head towards heaven now by getting this particular balance right (v 35).
Respond
In line with SU’s mission with the 95% of children and young people not in church, pray for any you know – that heaven will break into their lives as they hear about the good news Jesus brings.
Deeper Bible study
‘God … who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong.’1
The opposition towards the ministry of Jesus continued to grow, after a series of conflicts with the religious authorities from Galilee.2 In this reading, Jesus’ family and the religious authorities from Jerusalem not only misunderstood his ministry but attempted to discredit him. The family sought to take charge of him by alleging him to be out of his mind, while the religious authorities charged him with collaborating with Satan. This is in sharp contrast with the evil spirits, who recognised Jesus as the Son of God (v 11)!
This must have been a very painful moment for Jesus. He was misunderstood and rejected when he was doing God’s will. Many of God’s faithful servants, from Paul to modern-day missionaries such as Hudson Taylor, faced the same charge from people who knew them and were closest to them. As an Asian, I have witnessed many Christians face rejection by family, relatives and friends when they decide to follow Jesus. Some have lost their jobs. Some have lost their identity and have been labelled as traitors by their close-knit communities for forsaking the tradition of ancestral worship. Many of us find a new family in the body of Christ. We find our security in Christ and our identity as children of God (v 34).3 Likewise, in many parts of the world, even in the West, it is increasingly difficult to be faithful followers of Jesus. If our Lord was misunderstood and rejected by his own, we should not expect anything less than this. Let us take courage if we have been treated unfairly because of our faith in Christ and our service for him. Let us continue to be steadfast and stand firm for the Lord.
Let us remember and pray for the persecuted church, that it might continue to stand firm and steadfast and be a faithful witness to Christ.
1 1 Pet 5:10 2 Mark 2:1 – 3:6 3 See also John 1:12,13
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 24–27; Galatians 3
Pray for Scripture Union
This week’s prayers all relate to this article.
Give thanks to God for the digital technology that has enabled Jo Morley to create a holiday at home for the children whose Bake Off holiday had to be cancelled at Easter.
